Network farming method for customers who instruct growing conditions and receive harvest

ABSTRACT

An object of the present invention is to offer a customer a realistic experience of growing and harvesting plants, fishes through instructions from the customer connected with a network. The home vegetable garden or the network farm of the present invention comprises: customer terminals connected with a network; and a management terminal connected with the network for receiving instructions from a customer and reporting the growing process of plants and fishes. The customer terminal decides a kind of farm, land, seed and fertilizer, transmits instructions on the basis of the decision. The management terminal receives the instructions, and executes the instructions for growing and harvesting the selected plants and fishes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Technical Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a network system for aplantation or fish farm, wherein a user without materials and facilitiesfor cultivating plants and breeding animals instructs through a networka cultivator and breeder.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] It is known that a network farm shows photographs of its harveston its internet home page, thereby delivering the harvest to customers.

[0005] Further, the network farm often gathers by using an internet homepage customer members who wish to have virtual experiences in the farm.For example, the network farm lent an apple tree to a customer anddelivers harvested apples to the customer with a report of how theapples are grown.

[0006] However, the customers are not fully satisfied merely byreceiving the harvest. Particularly, eager customers wish to know thattheir plants are being grown in accordance with their instructions. Onthe other hand, when the farm could not obtain any harvest for thecustomer, the farm may deliver some harvest, feeling pity for thecustomer. In this way, the conventional network farm system has adisadvantage that the customers can not learn something from failures onharvest.

[0007] Recently, The governmental research center of the Japaneseministry of agriculture and fishery together with the federalorganization of science and industry of Australia reportedly succeededin generating a virtual rice plant which grows in a computer which showsby computer graphics a growing process from germination to coming intoears. For example, the way the leaves come out differs, if some of thegrowing conditions for the virtual rice plant are changed. Computersimulation is useful for development of new species. Further, thevirtual rice plant ends its life for only a minute, although a real riceplant takes about five months for a harvest. Therefore, immediatelyafter starting a software, seeds germinate, the leaves come out, oldleaves fell, and at last ears come out. The way how the leaves and thetiming when the ears come are changed, according to the conditions suchas temperature or day light time. Therefore, the local conditions suchas the East-North district in Main Island of Japan, or Kyushu Island insouthern Japan can be simulated. A virtual irrigated rice field has beenalready prepared for cropping simultaneously several kinds of thevirtual rice plants. The virtual irrigated rice field may be used forresearching lengths of leaves and shapes of the stems which can growagainst bad daylight conditions (morning edition of The Japan Economy:Heisei 12, May 8, 2000).

[0008] The virtual plant or plantation may be applied to offerexperiences of trial and error for delivering a real harvest to acustomer connected with a network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a network farmfor growing plants, fishes or animals, wherein a user connected with anetwork instructs a farmer during growing processes for obtaining a realharvest.

[0010] The network farming method for customers who instruct growingconditions and receive harvest from a network farm system including amanagement terminal, a farm connected with said management terminal anda plurality of customer terminals, which comprises the steps of:deciding growing conditions in said customer terminals; transmittingsaid growing conditions from said customer terminals to said managementterminal; executing growing in said farm connected with said managementterminal; reporting growing processes and harvest from said farm; anddelivering said harvest from said farm to said customer terminal.

[0011] According to the present invention, the customer can havehardships or difficulties in growing plants and animals and can gethis/her own harvest.

[0012] Further, according to the present invention, the farmingexperiences are realistic, because the growing processes of plants andanimals are monitored at any time.

BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network farm for a network farmingmethod for customers who instruct growing conditions and receiveharvest.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a management terminal of a homevegetable garden of the network farm of the present invention.

[0015]FIG. 3 is an exemplary home page transmitted from the managementterminal through the network.

[0016]FIG. 4 is another exemplary home page transmitted from themanagement terminal through the network.

[0017]FIG. 5 is still another exemplary home page transmitted from themanagement terminal through the network.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0018] A block diagram of the internet remote instruction system isshown in FIG. 1. Network 1 such as an internet, LAN and WAN is connectedwith home vegetable garden management terminal 2 which may includes ahome page, or e-mail means. Concretely, management terminal 2 may openits URL (uniform resource locator) and a home page, thereby introducingits business for home vegetable garden wherein management terminal 2invites, like a TV shopping, customers, receives instructions forcultivation, undertakes harvest by the cultivation, and receives acompensation. Further, the URL may be connected with a server which canaccepts orders all day long. Further, a part of the server may be usedfor the home page. Furthermore, a contract between the managementterminal and a customer may includes a preparation of soil and adelivery of harvest. Furthermore, not only texts but also pictures ofharvest photographed by a video camera.

[0019] Customer terminals 3 and 4 connected with network. Customerterminal 3 or 4 includes a computer, memory, printer, keyboard andmouse, thereby reading the home page, answering questionnaires andbuying the harvest or other products. Customer terminals 3 and 4 allowcustomers of the home vegetable garden to respond with freedom andvariety reflecting their experiences and learning level.

[0020] Management terminal 2 manages a real facility where farmersactually grow plants and fishermen actually grow fishes. Therefore, thecustomers who operate customer terminals 3 and 4 may visit the facility.

[0021] Management terminal 2 as shown in FIG. 2 comprises: input unit 5such as a keyboard and a mouse; server 7 for an operational program forcontrolling a computer, an application program for home page or thelike, an image processing program for video camera images and a networkprogram for transmitting home pages and the like; video camera 8 forphotographing moving or still pictures of the facility and harvests orother things; and display 6 for displaying home pages, video images andother things. Concretely, video camera 8 may from time to time sendsimages of flowers and fruits, thereby offering the video images to thecustomers through network 1. Video camera 8 may be replaced by a pockettelephone with a digital camera. In this case, the pocket telephone isconnected with the computer in management terminal 2.

[0022] Customer terminals 3 and 4 is required to assure communicationchannel in order to send their instructions on the home pages ofmanagement terminal 2. Further, customer terminals 3 and 4 may beprovided with a color printer, thereby enjoying vivid images from thefacility. Further, customer terminal 3 or 4 may be a pocket telephone, amobile information terminal, or a mobile personal computer which can beconnected with network 1 such as an internet.

[0023] Further, the customer can confirm a progress of execution of itsinstruction, if management terminal 2 sends an image of the instructionwritten, for example, on a board, together with scenes of cultivating orbreeding in the facility.

[0024] Customer terminal searches by a browser a home page which meetsits expectation concerning cultivation/breeding of plants /animals.

[0025] After finding out the expected home page, the customer asks foran execution of cultivation/breeding of plants/animals.

[0026] The customer instructs, for example, to begin home vegetablefarm, looking at a home page as shown in FIG. 3. It is assumed that thecustomer selects “rice “among a list of crops including “apple”“cucumber” and “rice”, responding to an invitation “Let's try networkfarm”. The contents of the home page as shown in FIG. 3 are diversifiedand limitless in geographical conditions as to be attractive tocustomers.

[0027] An example of a home page as shown in FIG. 4 of which URL isdifferent from that of the home page as shown in FIG. 3. One of theitems is an area of farm to be contracted. If the contract fee proposedby the customer does not match the area of farm, the home page repliesan advice such as “the area of farm should be smaller than xx m²”, forexample. Next, the customer inputs in full detail a kind of seed, asowing timing, a kind and quantity of fertilizer and a timing and methodof transplanting the rice seedlings, and other things, taking intoconsideration the entire process of growing rice. A program for a farmerto comment the growing conditions may be provided for the network farmsystem, when a conditions proposed by the customer does not meet theactual condition of the farmer.

[0028] An initial display for setting up the growing conditions. Thegrowing conditions may also be set up monthly or whenever necessary,while video pictures of growing processes may be sent to customers in afile attached to a electronic mail so that the customers can confirm thegrowing process.

[0029] For example, after transplanting rice seedlings, it may beinstructed that released ducks weed the field, after transplanting riceseedlings. Other growing conditions may be changed, in accordance with adry or wet weather.

[0030] The exemplary home page as shown in FIG. 5 notifies a customer ofa safe harvest of rice for awaiting a next instruction. The customerinstruct to thresh all or a part of straw bags of unhulled rice. Thecustomer may instruct to threshing “xy” bags and store the balance in astorehouse if the farmer has one. The customer may select anair-conditioned room with constant temperature and/or humidity, or aroom without air-conditioning.

[0031] Next, the customer instructs a delivery. Thee customer mayrequest to deliver to his or her house all the rice immediately afterthreshed, when he or she wishes to touch the rice grown and harvested byhis/her instructions. The farmer affixes a label “Harvest No. 1” to thebag of the rice. The farmer may photographs the labeled bag to theelectronic mail server of the customer.

[0032] The customer can identify the delivered rice to be his/her own,by the electronic mail. In general, the threshed rice is furtherpolished to be cleaned rice. Therefore, the customer may order thefarmer to polish the threshed rice. Alternatively, the customer mayharvest, thresh, polish, according to his/her choice.

[0033] A harvest may be unsuccessful, Although a harvest is successfulin the above explanation, it may be unsuccessful, due to inappropriateinstructions on a kind of seed, sprinkling of agricultural chemicals,weeding, or threshing. Therefore, the customer may have advises of thefarmer. For example, a tolerable range of growing parameters togetherwith comments from the farmer may be given to the customer, when thecustomer instruct the farmer through the home page. The farmer may teachthe customer an effect of excessive use of the agricultural chemicals onthe growth of rice. Thus, the customer can have experiences not inferiorto the farmer. Such experiences are useful in the coming year.

[0034] The instructions may be printed out by the farmer periodically orfrom time to time, from the beginning of the contraction.

[0035] For example, the instruction together with a sowing scene and itsdate may be sent to the customer by an electronic mail. The customerclearly knows that the farmer conducts operations according to theinstructions.

[0036] The contents of the home pages are diversified, according toselected crops such as apple, cucumber, and potato. Further, Thecustomer's experiences are enriched by farmer's advice for keys tosuccess in growing each crop and fruit.

[0037] The customer may contracts with the farmer year by year. Further,the cost may be displayed, every time when an instruction is issued bythe customer, thereby enhancing reality of an experience of thecustomer, as if the customer were a real and expert farmer. Further, thecustomer may become aware of a balance of cost and performance, as ifhe/or she were administrating and operating the farm.

[0038] When “cherry” is selected, the customer may go to see withhis/her family or friends cherry-blossoms of the contracted cherry treeand to pick up cherries of the contracted cherry tree.

[0039] The customer has dealings with the farmer, by using electronictools such as electronic mail, digital camera. It does not cost so muchto introduce and use these tools.

[0040] Further, the customer enjoys a merit of getting fresh harvest ata low price directly from the contracted farmer, while the farmer enjoysa merit of stabilizing the management of the farm, because thecontraction guarantees a constant income.

[0041] Further, the customer enjoys harvest in season.

[0042] Further, the harvest is not only agricultural crops, but alsofishes such as eel, tuna, and sardine, crab, shell such as oyster.Particularly, it takes more than two years to harvest oyster. Duringthat period of time, the customer instructs the growing condition andmonitors periodically or from time to time the growing process which isnot yet fully known. And, finally, the customer gets the grown-upoysters after a virtual experience.

[0043] A hen, pig, or horse may be grown for harvesting eggs, meat, orintroduction to a horse race, respectively. The customer can confirmbreeding process by electronic mails from the breeder attached withphotographs of breeding scenes including the customer's instruction,while the breeder can prove worthy of the customer's trust by reporting.

[0044] The present invention is also applied to pet animals such as dogsor cats. For example, a pet house may look after the pet animal during atravel of the customer. The pet house has to promise to send anelectronic mail report to the customer, for example, once in three days.For this purpose, the customer read the home page of the pet house andinput a period for leaving the pet animal, a kind of care and cage. Ifthe pet house can accept the conditions, the customer takes the petanimal to the pet house.

[0045] Then, the customer inputs contents of care instruction inprescribed section of the home page of the pet house, while the pethouse transmits image data including the pet animal and the instructionfor confirmation by the customer. Thus, the customer does not need toworry about the pet animal during the travel, while the pet house can dobusiness, get satisfaction of giving the customer a mental stability,and find out a new method or know-how.

[0046] Video camera 8 may be controlled by control data to change aphotographing direction and zooming. The photographed image istransmitted through the network to the customer terminal, therebydisplaying the image.

[0047] The customer may select a menu to monitor the growing process allday long. When a control command is transmitted in accordance withprescribed codes, plants or animals are observed under the customer'scontrol. The farmer can be controlled to a certain degree. Therefore,the customer's experience becomes more realistic.

[0048] The customer clicks the control code, by looking at a code table,or a menu screen, thereby switching on/off or adjusting functionswitches of video camera 8. The control code is transmitted through aninternet, converted into control data in the camera. A response signalmay be transmitted from the camera in order to confirm the reception ofthe control code.

[0049] As the customer obtains the image by the control code, He/she canconfirm an effectiveness of remote control and observe a realisticimage.

[0050] On the other hand, management terminal 2 can save its trouble totransmit images of the scene of the farm and can concentrate on thefarm.

[0051] In the above-explained embodiment of the present invention, thecontents of farming experiences may be classified into a plurality ofranks, because the contents are diversified very much.

What is claimed is:
 1. A network farming method for customers whoinstruct growing conditions and receive harvest from a network farmsystem including a management terminal, a farm connected with saidmanagement terminal and a plurality of customer terminals, whichcomprises the steps of: deciding growing conditions in said customerterminals; transmitting said growing conditions from said customerterminals to said management terminal; executing growing in said farmconnected with said management terminal; reporting growing processes andharvest from said farm; and delivering said harvest from said farm tosaid customer terminal.
 2. The network farming method according to claim1 , wherein the deciding step includes a step of inputting instructionson a home page managed by said management terminal.
 3. The networkfarming method according to claim 1 , wherein the reporting stepincludes the steps of photographing by a digital camera a growing scenetogether with said growing conditions received by said managementterminal; and transmitting the photographed image to said customerterminals, every time when said management terminal receives saidgrowing conditions from said customers.
 4. The network farming methodaccording to claim 3 , wherein said reporting step includes a step ofconfirming by said customer terminals said photographed image.
 5. Thenetwork farming method according to claim 1 , wherein the reporting stepincludes the steps of: sticking a label identifying said harvest;photographing by a digital camera said harvest together with said label;and transmitting the photographed image to said customer terminals. 6.The network farming method according to claim 5 , wherein said reportingstep includes a step of confirming by said customer terminals saidphotographed image.